Buried in Muir Valley!

[toad857]

the volunteer issue is one thing...

...but as far as financial support goes:

1) Shirts. Design an awesome shirt. $25 donation gets you the cheap cotton, $50+ gets you synthetic moisture-wicking.

...that's probably the best idea i've seen yet. only, i'd raise the prices to $40 and $70, which is still fair because you're not exactly 'buying' a tshirt, but making a donation. it would help cover expenses from the shirts, too.

also, what about "FRIEND OF MUIR VALLEY" stickers? $20 donation = one sticker. again, fair.

[caribe]

I am going to look at my ticklist and make a 5$/visit contribution to FOMV for the past year. I did this a while back, but I have been lax this year. I am going to do the same for the RRGCC.
• I think this kind of tracking is a great way to keep oneself honest. Think about what you can afford and pay as you go.
• I am going to do likewise for the RRGCC in the Southern Region.
• I drop a 5$ bill at Torrent when I am lucky enough to climb there for free. If I am unlucky enough not to have 5$ bill, I put a 10$.
• We have to put ourselves in Bob, Liz and Rick's place. Think about how encouraging it is too them to feel appreciated. They are taking care of a fantastic venue and this care costs money.
• About the note above: I am not bragging; I am just trying to encourage you by telling you that someone else is trying to contribute and you are not a fool by dropping a dime here and there on climbing in the Red. I think about the joy that I get out of climbing here and equate my financial support to brushing my teeth. "Ignore your teeth and they will go away."

[CLIMBTRAD]

Lot guys got good ideas. but its time to step up. As i said before in this thread,i will be in the parking lot sat. may 1st. for whatever work is needed and i plan on doing this once a month.IF everyone would just give one day a month it would get better. just do more than climb ... if not work maybe some 2x4s something,cash,tp something

[Der Revir]

dont limit the cars or access thats not very clever make people more aware that there are donantion boxes post up more signs have a sign up list for people to come help i mean they wouldnt know all of this stuff is going on if they didnt have access to this particular website. Once you make people pay to go climbing it is a liability issue. I think its awesome what liz and rick have done for own community it really is great I live 45 mins away and i come down as much as possible i would be more than willing to give up days to help you all out for sure

[Dhaulagiri]

I find it very difficult to volunteer at the Red after driving 7 hours and only having 2 days of climbing to satisfy me for the next couple months. I just can't afford the time.

I have a similar mentality given how far I also drive for 1.5 days of climbing a few weekends a year. Is that selfish? Perhaps. I have given money to FOMV & RRGCC in the past however the problem the Weber's are having seems to be only partially a financial one.

The issue seems to come down to climbers using common sense and showing respect in return for being able to climb at MV for free. Charging for parking would be a good idea provided it works from a legal standpoint but then the issue of enforcement raises another set of headaches.

Unfortunately this problem is likely to only get worse when the new guidebook is released with even more areas at MV being included.

[rsd212]

the problem the Weber's are having seems to be only partially a financial one.

Given enough financial resources the manpower problem can be taken care of. Im sure there are plenty of climbers who wouldn't mind making a few $ in exchange for morning parking lot duty, some bathroom cleaning, pothole patching, and a little trail maintenance. Its sort of like buying carbon credits, just shift the responsibility to someone else who may be better equipped to take care of it.

[toad857]

i dont know, man, i disagree. we americans have a mentality whereby if you throw enough money at a situation, it will go away. not true (see: katrina, 911, haiti earthquake, etc).

money helps buy wood, gravel, rebar, etc.....but actually paying someone for labor is more complicated and really i dont think it's an option. volunteering is the way to go.

[rsd212]

i dont know, man, i disagree. we americans have a mentality whereby if you throw enough money at a situation, it will go away. not true (see: katrina, 911, haiti earthquake, etc).

money helps buy wood, gravel, rebar, etc.....but actually paying someone for labor is more complicated and really i dont think it's an option. volunteering is the way to go.

In an ideal world, sure, volunteering works great. In reality it may not be enough. I also dont think its that complicated; not really any different than hiring someone to mow the lawn or clean your house. The person(s) would get to know the valley and know the common issues that arise. When you have volunteers there is a certain amount of training that needs to be done, whereas a hired hand can be more autonomous and agile.

[bcombs]

the problem the Weber's are having seems to be only partially a financial one.

Given enough financial resources the manpower problem can be taken care of. Im sure there are plenty of climbers who wouldn't mind making a few $ in exchange for morning parking lot duty, some bathroom cleaning, pothole patching, and a little trail maintenance. Its sort of like buying carbon credits, just shift the responsibility to someone else who may be better equipped to take care of it.

I'm not sure, but I think you just suggested that the Weber's pay us for pitching in and taking care of the property.

Is there an emoticon on here for when your head explodes?

[rsd212]

I'm not sure, but I think you just suggested that the Weber's pay us for pitching in and taking care of the property.

Is there an emoticon on here for when your head explodes?

This is based on there being more financial support than what is necessary to pay for the maintenance items. Of course, I already accused someone of thinking in terms of an ideal world, so I guess I have to admit the hypocrisy of assuming there would be enough donations to justify this. I certainly don't think the Webers should do anything out of their own pocket as their level of generosity in simply opening their backyard to us (and building trails, bridges, parking lots, bathrooms, equipping walls, assisting in rescues, etc etc) is astounding. I'm just saying that if we can get together enough scratch, and the volunteering doesn't provide enough relief, then a hired hand might be the way to go. Of course, more likely, we'll have to get by on those who are nice enough to volunteer their time, plus a little donated money (and money from T-shirts sales, if that path is chosen), and we just have to hope/pray the Webers continue to allow us to enjoy the valley.